Props aren’t for beginners or people who aren’t flexible enough yet. They’re for everyone who wants to train smarter
You’re scrolling through Instagram, seeing people effortlessly fold themselves into pretzel shapes with nothing but a mat and their apparent superhuman flexibility. Then you look at yourself struggling to touch your toes even with a strap, and you wonder if using props means you’re not doing it right. If maybe you should just try harder, push deeper, force your body to do what those other people are doing without all the extra help.
Here’s what I need you to know right now. We can all use a little propping up from time to time. Props such as blocks, straps, foam rollers, and bolsters can help us no matter our experience level. Bodies and abilities come in all types and require different types of support. The urge to feel ashamed for needing help? That’s not serving you. What does serve you is recognizing and respecting your own needs. Props allow us to focus on ourselves and our bodies instead of worrying about forcing our bodies to do something that doesn’t feel right. We’re doing this work to feel good, right? So we should actually feel good doing it.
What flexibility props actually do
Props allow us to tailor our movements to our unique bodies. They encourage weak parts to strengthen, stiff areas to stretch, and tired muscles to relax. They take unnecessary pressure off our bodies and also off our need-to-be-perfect mindsets. Research published in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy found that props, including blocks, help practitioners maintain poses longer with better postural integrity, which is especially important for building strength and flexibility safely.
Think of props as tools that meet you where you are. If you’re working on a forward fold and your hamstrings are tight from sitting all day, a strap gives you something to hold onto so you can focus on lengthening your spine instead of rounding your back to reach your toes. If you’re trying to hold a deep lunge but your hip flexors aren’t quite there yet, a block under your hands keeps your chest lifted and your spine aligned whilst you build the flexibility you need. Props don’t make the pose easier in the sense of less effective. They make it more accessible so you can actually do the work the pose is designed to do.
Blocks are your best friend
Personally, I love blocks. Blocks are inexpensive, easy to come by, and when you have more than two you can really use them to deepen your stretches or help your body ease into a new stretch. Standard yoga blocks are typically 10 cm x 15 cm x 23 cm and can be made of foam, cork, or wood. Each material has benefits. Foam is lighter and softer, cork is heavier and more stable, wood is the most durable but also the firmest.
You can use blocks in three different height positions depending on what you need. The tallest position brings the floor closest to you, which is great when you’re working on standing forward folds or side angle poses where your hands don’t quite reach the ground yet. The medium height works well for seated poses or when you need a bit of lift under your hips. The lowest height is perfect for when you’re deepening a stretch and need just a little bit of support to maintain proper alignment.
Blocks aren’t just for making poses more accessible when you’re less flexible. They’re also incredible tools for deepening stretches once you have more range of motion. Place blocks under your hands in a lizard lunge and you can sink your hips lower whilst keeping your chest lifted. Use them under your feet in a standing split and you’ve effectively made the floor higher, allowing you to work on your balance and hip flexibility simultaneously.
Straps extend your reach without compromising form
Straps are essentially an extension of your arms, and according to flexibility experts, they activate the muscles on the back side of your lower body whilst avoiding any pulling sensation that could lead to injury. Most yoga straps are between 1.8 to 2.4 metres long with a buckle on one end, though you can absolutely use a belt, scarf, or even a towel if you don’t have an official strap.
The beauty of a strap is that it allows you to maintain proper alignment whilst working on flexibility. In a seated forward fold, if you can’t reach your feet without rounding your spine, loop a strap around the balls of your feet and hold the ends. Now you can keep your back straight, engage your core, and actually stretch your hamstrings instead of just hunching over and stretching your back. In a reclined hand-to-big-toe pose, the strap lets you extend your leg fully whilst keeping your opposite hip grounded, which is nearly impossible to do without assistance when your hamstrings are tight.
Straps are particularly useful for shoulder mobility work. Thread the strap behind your back, hold one end in each hand, and you can work on shoulder extension and rotation in ways that would be inaccessible without the length a strap provides. Research shows that straps aid in increasing flexibility and deepening stretches safely, which is exactly what we’re looking for.
Bolsters and foam rollers for support and release
Bolsters are soft, supportive props that are ideal for restorative poses and deep stretching. They can be placed under your knees, back, or any area that requires support, promoting deep release and soothing tension. Whilst bolsters are often used in restorative yoga and yin yoga, they can add comfort to poses in any flexibility practice without diminishing the effectiveness of the position. In many cases, bolsters can be used in place of blocks for a softer, potentially more stable-feeling prop.
If you don’t have a bolster, a firm pillow or tightly rolled blanket works just as well. Place a bolster under your chest in a supported child’s pose, and you can stay in the stretch longer, allowing your hips and lower back to release more fully. Use it under your knees in corpse pose (savasana), and you create space in your lower back, which can provide relief if you have tension there.
Foam rollers serve a different purpose. They’re excellent for self-myofascial release, which is basically a fancy way of saying you’re using pressure to release tension in your fascia and muscles. Roll slowly over tight areas like your IT band, calves, or upper back, and you’ll often find spots that are surprisingly tender. That tenderness is feedback. Your body is telling you where you’re holding tension, and the pressure from the roller helps release it.
You don’t need to buy everything
Here’s the practical bit. You don’t need to rush out and buy every prop that exists. Start with what you have around your house. Thick books stacked to the right height work as blocks. A bathrobe belt or the strap from a duffel bag works as a yoga strap. Firm couch cushions or bed pillows can substitute for bolsters. Get creative. The point isn’t to have the perfect Instagram-worthy prop collection. The point is to have tools that help you move better and feel better.
That said, if you’re going to invest in one or two things, I’d recommend starting with blocks. They’re versatile, inexpensive, and you’ll use them constantly. A strap is a close second, especially if you’re working on hamstring flexibility or shoulder mobility. You can often find yoga prop sets that include both blocks and a strap for a reasonable price, and that combination will cover most of what you need.
Props aren’t a sign of weakness
When we aren’t stressing about doing everything right or forcing our bodies into uncomfortable positions, we’re able to truly focus. We can breathe deeply, keep steady, and pay attention to what’s actually happening in our bodies. Props can help eliminate the negative chatter in our minds and provide an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our bodies. We become aware of how our body moves, how we use space, and how each part of our body works together with the rest.
Using props doesn’t mean you’re not strong enough or flexible enough. It means you’re smart enough to use the tools available to you to train more effectively and safely. Elite athletes use props. Experienced yoga teachers use props. People who have been training flexibility for decades use props. Because props work. They allow you to target the specific muscles you’re trying to stretch, maintain proper alignment whilst you do it, and avoid compensatory patterns that lead to injury.
The fitness industry loves to make us feel like we should be able to do everything with just our bodies and sheer willpower. That using modifications or assistance somehow makes our practice less legitimate. That’s nonsense designed to make you feel inadequate so you’ll keep chasing an impossible standard. Props are tools. Use them. Don’t be shy and give yourself some much-deserved support.
If you’re ready for a flexibility practice that incorporates props intelligently and meets you exactly where you are, The Garden has guided classes designed with accessibility in mind. Every video includes options for using props, and you’ll never be made to feel like you should be able to do something without them.
